Putting customer experience over rapid growth is like choosing Netflix and chill over hitting the clubs.

One is comfy and guaranteed good vibes, and the other might end up with you losing a shoe and regretting your decisions.

Growth Tactics to Reach $100M ARR

Why Read:

• Gain critical insights on scaling efficiently, focusing on demand generation, prioritizing customer experience, and avoiding common pitfalls in hiring and growth strategies.

Featuring:

• Scott Barker (@scottbGTM), Partner & Co-founder at GTMfund interviews Sam Blond (@samdblond), Partner at Founders Fund

Link: 

• “GTM 105: Scaling to $100M ARR with Creative Demand Gen and Hiring Discipline with Sam Blond”

Key Concepts and Tactics:

1. Invest in RevOps early

   • Quote: "We eventually got revops right. At the time it was like sales Ops sort of evolved into rev Ops. But we should have invested in and focused on revops earlier... I've never seen an example where a company has invested too early or too heavily in revops. The efficiencies that that function will drive and the ROI is often times difficult to measure because they aren't a sales rep, but you will see sales rep effectiveness improve so much."

2. Prioritize customer experience and implementation over rapid growth

   • Quote: "Be very deliberate about how your customers are implemented and onboarded. You only get one chance at a first impression and really optimize for that... don't trade off customer experience for top-line growth or short-term growth"

3. Only hire sales reps into a demand-rich environment

   • Quote: "… make sure that you are hiring in a demand-rich environment. You do not want to hire AE’s in a demand-poor environment. You will close less revenue than if you don't hire the AE’s and of course spend more money because you're paying more people."

4. Focus on creative and targeted demand generation strategies

   • Quote: "Really make sure that you are being creative and contrarian because the most effective demand in campaigns that I've ever both experienced and also observed […] they're new they're creative there's something that someone else isn't or most people are not doing."

5. Use a targeted, concentric circle approach for outreach

   • Quote: "I would be far more targeted than most people default do. And I would think about the world in terms of concentric circles... really exhaust proximity to the business, personal connections, customers before you leverage truly cold customer acquisition."

6. Regularly evaluate and push for creative marketing campaigns

   • Quote: "On a pretty regular basis if you were an early stage startup this is like a monthly cadence as you mature this is probably like a quarterly cadence... pressure test if you are being creative enough."

7. For fundraising, focus on business momentum and selling yourself as a founder

   • Quote: "The two things that come to mind that VC's optimize for. One is objective and one is at least somewhat subjective. The objective one is the numbers... The second thing that is more subjective and probably more important in a way is being able to sell yourself as a Founder"

8. Prioritize demand generation over conversion optimization in demand-poor environments

   • Quote: "If you are not in a demand-rich environment, focus on demand until you are. And that should be the number one priority in the go-to-market organization"

9. Leverage and reward existing customers for referrals and testimonials

   • Quote: "…you know even at an early stage, we should have some raving fan customers that love our product and we should be deliberate about leveraging those raving fan customers to generate new ones... be very deliberate and put some resources in the form of dollars towards encouraging that behaviour"

Borderless Talent is the Future

Why Read: 

• Understand the advantages and challenges of borderless hiring, including access to global talent pools, cost efficiency, and navigating international regulations..

Featuring:

• Rachel Curry (@writingsofrach), Owner of Writings of Rachel

Link:

• “Move over, remote jobs. CEOs say borderless talent is the future of tech work”

Key Concepts and Tactics:

1. Embracing Borderless Hiring as the Future of Tech Work:

   • Point: Recognize that borderless hiring is becoming more prevalent than remote work in the tech industry.

   • "Remote is like the gateway drug to borderless," said Jeremy Johnson, CEO of AI-enabled tech talent marketplace Andela, whose customers include Goldman Sachs, Github and Coursera. "Once you realize that you don't have to all be in the same office five days a week in order to build a compelling culture and feel connected to the mission and solve complex problems, you then start thinking there are great people all over the world."

2. Leveraging Global Talent Pools:

   • Point: Tap into tech talent markets worldwide to access a broader range of skilled workers.

   • "By 2022, the tech talent workforce in cities like Beijing and Delhi far outweighed that of U.S. powerhouses like San Francisco and New York, reports CBRE Global Tech Talent Guidebook 2024. The report cites burgeoning tech talent markets like Bucharest, Romania; Cape Town, South Africa; Cebu City, Philippines; Nairobi, Kenya and more."

3. Considering Asynchronous Work Models:

   • Point: Evaluate the potential benefits of an asynchronous workforce for global innovation.

   • "Jackson, however, has the viewpoint that global innovation with an asynchronous workforce is a chance to create a company 'where the sun never sets.'"

4. Navigating Global Compliance and Regulations:

   • Point: Be aware of local labor laws, compliance issues, and payroll factors when hiring globally.

   • "Johnson says local labor laws, compliance and payroll are all factors at play in global operations, which is why many organizations have opened centers in specific countries."

5. Adapting to AI Regulation and Innovation:

   • Point: Consider how AI regulation in different regions may impact hiring strategies.

   • "As more regulatory and case law settles around the globe surrounding AI and data, cross-border employment trends will shift like puzzle pieces."

6. Maintaining Quality in Global Hiring:

   • Point: Prioritize quality when hiring globally, despite potential cost savings.

   • "Quality still matters," he said. "The old adage is when you're building software, do you want to be fast, good quality, or cheap? Pick two. Now, I reject that. You can have all three, but quality still matters, no matter where you are."

7. Leveraging Borderless Hiring for Cost Efficiency:

   • Point: Recognize the potential for significant cost savings through borderless hiring.

   • "If you could make your single biggest expense, which is talent, 10% more efficient, you have a dramatic advantage," Johnson said.

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